Appendix H: New Connection Wizard (Windows Server 2003)

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003 with SP1

In Microsoft Windows Server 2003 family operating systems you use the New Connection Wizard to create Internet and other types of network connections for home and small office networks. While this feature is designed for home and small office use, information about this feature is presented here so IT administrators can be aware of these potential capabilities within your organization's network.

The content in this appendix includes the following information:

  • An overview of the New Connection Wizard

  • How to control the use of the New Connection Wizard

Overview: New Connection Wizard

The New Connection Wizard in Windows Server 2003 family operating systems replaces the Windows 2000 Network Connection Wizard and Internet Connection Wizard. Administrators for a home or small office network can use the New Connection Wizard to create any type of network connection including Internet, incoming, dial-up, virtual private network (VPN), and direct connection.

Administrators can create a new connection through Control Panel\Network Connections. When you click Create a new connection, the wizard guides you through this process. In a highly managed network environment you might want to prevent administrators as well as users from creating new connections.

Note

The Internet Connection Wizard still appears when you first click any program that requires an Internet connection, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer. The Internet Connection Wizard can also be started from Outlook Express, if a link for Set up a Mail account or for Set up a Newsgroups account is visible and you click the link. You can disable the Internet Connection Wizard in Group Policy through User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Internet Explorer.

Controlling the Use of the New Connection Wizard

You can block administrators and users from using the New Connection Wizard by configuring Group Policy. The following two Group Policy settings are in User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Network\Network Connections:

  • Prohibit Access to the New Connection Wizard

    This policy setting determines whether users, including administrators, can use the New Connection Wizard, which creates new Internet or intranet connections.

    Important

ImportantImportant
If the policy setting Enable Windows 2000 Network Connections settings for Administrators is disabled or not configured, Prohibit Access to the New Connection Wizard will not apply to administrators on computers running Windows XP.
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  • Enable Windows 2000 Network Connections settings for Administrators

    This policy setting determines whether policy settings that exist in Windows 2000 will apply to administrators. The set of Network Connections policy settings that exists in Windows 2000 also exists in Windows XP. In Windows 2000, all of these policy settings have the ability to prohibit the use of certain features by administrators. By default, Network Connections policy settings in Windows XP do not prohibit the use of features from administrators.

    Note

noteNote
This policy setting is intended to be used in a situation in which the Group Policy object (GPO) contains computers running both Windows 2000 and Windows XP and identical Network Connections policy setting behavior is required between those computers.
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Configuration options for these policy settings are presented in the following table.

Group Policy settings for controlling the use of the New Connection Wizard

Policy setting Description

Prohibit Access to the New Connection Wizard (enabled)

If you enable this policy setting (and enable the Enable Network Connections settings for Administrators policy setting), the Make New Connection icon does not appear in the Start menu or in the Network Connections folder. As a result, users (including administrators) cannot start the New Connection Wizard.

Prohibit Access to the New Connection Wizard (disabled or not configured)

If you disable this policy setting or do not configure it, the Make New Connection icon appears in the Start menu and in the Network Connections folder for all users (except in a workgroup environment where only administrators can access this wizard). Clicking the Make New Connection icon starts the New Connection Wizard.

Changing this policy setting from enabled to not configured does not restore the Make New Connection icon until the user logs off or on. When other changes to this policy setting are applied, the icon does not appear or disappear in the Network Connections folder until the folder is refreshed.

Enable Windows 2000 Network Connections settings for Administrators (enabled)

If you enable this policy setting, the Windows XP policy settings that exist in Windows 2000 can prohibit administrators from using certain features (see the policy settings in the Network Connections folder). With this policy setting enabled, policy settings that exist in both Windows 2000 and Windows XP behave the same for administrators.

Enable Windows 2000 Network Connections settings for Administrators (disabled or not configured)

If you disable this policy setting or do not configure it, Windows XP policy settings that exist in Windows 2000 will not apply to administrators.

For information about using Group Policy, see Appendix B: Resources for Learning About Group Policy (Windows Server 2003).